Method and apparatus for presenting pivacy-respectful and personalized location-based comments based on passenger context and vehicle proximity to the location

ABSTRACT

An approach is provided for presenting privacy-respectful and personalized location-based comments based on passenger context and vehicle proximity to the location. The approach involves identifying a user, a location, and/or a context of a vehicle. The approach also involves determining a privacy level set by the user and/or associated with the context. The approach further involves generating a personalized comment related to the location based on the privacy level, wherein the personalized comment includes privacy-sensitive data associated with the user. The approach further involves triggering a presentation of the personalized comment in a user interface of the vehicle and/or a device based on a proximity of the vehicle to the location

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.16/193,891, filed Nov. 16, 2018, entitled “METHOD AND APPARATUS FORPRESENTING PRIVACY-RESPECTFUL AND PERSONALIZED LOCATION-BASED COMMENTSBASED ON PASSENGER CONTEXT AND VEHICLE PROXIMITY TO THE LOCATION,” theentirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Autonomous vehicles are able to operate by using pattern based learningand by processing data from sensors and other sources to support logicaldecision making (i.e., calculating the probabilities of variousscenarios and upcoming vehicle events). Passengers of such vehiclesdemand relevant content during the ride. For example, one traditionalapproach to making services and/or related content more compelling is toprovide location-based content when approaching the location, e.g.,points of interest recommendations, etc. However, such content isusually static and non-personal. Accordingly, service providers anddevice manufacturers face significant technical challenges to providehighly relevant and personalized content while protecting the user'sprivacy where the personalized content can be exposed to otherpassengers.

SOME EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

As a result, there is a need for presenting privacy-respectful andpersonalized location-based comments based on passenger context andvehicle proximity to the location.

According to one embodiment, a computer-implemented method comprisesidentifying a user of a vehicle, a location of the vehicle, a context ofthe vehicle, or a combination thereof. The method also comprisesdetermining a privacy level set by the user, associated with thecontext, or a combination thereof. The method further comprisesproviding data for generating a personalized comment related to thelocation based on the privacy level, wherein the personalized commentincludes privacy-sensitive data associated with the user. The methodfurther comprises triggering a presentation of the personalized commentin a user interface of the vehicle, a device, or a combination thereofbased on a proximity of the vehicle to the location.

According to another embodiment, an apparatus comprises at least oneprocessor, and at least one memory including computer program code forone or more computer programs, the at least one memory and the computerprogram code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause, atleast in part, the apparatus to identify a user of a vehicle, a locationof the vehicle, a context of the vehicle, or a combination thereof. Theapparatus is also caused to determine a privacy level set by the user,associated with the context, or a combination thereof. The apparatus isfurther caused to generate a personalized comment related to thelocation based on the privacy level, wherein the personalized commentincludes privacy-sensitive data associated with the user. The apparatusis also caused to trigger a presentation of the personalized comment ina user interface of the vehicle, a device, or a combination thereofbased on a proximity of the vehicle to the location.

According to another embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium carries one or more sequences of one or more instructionswhich, when executed by one or more processors, cause, at least in part,an apparatus to identify a user of a vehicle, a location of the vehicle,a context of the vehicle, or a combination thereof. The apparatus isalso caused to determine a privacy level set by the user, associatedwith the context, or a combination thereof. The apparatus is furthercaused to generate a personalized comment related to the location basedon the privacy level, wherein the personalized comment includesprivacy-sensitive data associated with the user. The apparatus isfurther caused to trigger a presentation of the personalized comment ina user interface of the vehicle, a device, or a combination thereofbased on a proximity of the vehicle to the location.

According to another embodiment, an apparatus comprises means foridentifying a user of a vehicle, a location of the vehicle, a context ofthe vehicle, or a combination thereof. The apparatus also comprisesmeans for determining a privacy level set by the user, associated withthe context, or a combination thereof. The apparatus further comprisesmeans for providing data for generating a personalized comment relatedto the location based on the privacy level, wherein the personalizedcomment includes privacy-sensitive data associated with the user. Theapparatus further comprises means for triggering a presentation of thepersonalized comment in a user interface of the vehicle, a device, or acombination thereof based on a proximity of the vehicle to the location.

In addition, for various example embodiments of the invention, thefollowing is applicable: a method comprising facilitating a processingof and/or processing (1) data and/or (2) information and/or (3) at leastone signal, the (1) data and/or (2) information and/or (3) at least onesignal based, at least in part, on (or derived at least in part from)any one or any combination of methods (or processes) disclosed in thisapplication as relevant to any embodiment of the invention.

For various example embodiments of the invention, the following is alsoapplicable: a method comprising facilitating access to at least oneinterface configured to allow access to at least one service, the atleast one service configured to perform any one or any combination ofnetwork or service provider methods (or processes) disclosed in thisapplication.

For various example embodiments of the invention, the following is alsoapplicable: a method comprising facilitating creating and/orfacilitating modifying (1) at least one device user interface elementand/or (2) at least one device user interface functionality, the (1) atleast one device user interface element and/or (2) at least one deviceuser interface functionality based, at least in part, on data and/orinformation resulting from one or any combination of methods orprocesses disclosed in this application as relevant to any embodiment ofthe invention, and/or at least one signal resulting from one or anycombination of methods (or processes) disclosed in this application asrelevant to any embodiment of the invention.

For various example embodiments of the invention, the following is alsoapplicable: a method comprising creating and/or modifying (1) at leastone device user interface element and/or (2) at least one device userinterface functionality, the (1) at least one device user interfaceelement and/or (2) at least one device user interface functionalitybased at least in part on data and/or information resulting from one orany combination of methods (or processes) disclosed in this applicationas relevant to any embodiment of the invention, and/or at least onesignal resulting from one or any combination of methods (or processes)disclosed in this application as relevant to any embodiment of theinvention.

In various example embodiments, the methods (or processes) can beaccomplished on the service provider side or on the mobile device sideor in any shared way between service provider and mobile device withactions being performed on both sides.

For various example embodiments, the following is applicable: Anapparatus comprising means for performing the method of any of theclaims.

Still other aspects, features, and advantages of the invention arereadily apparent from the following detailed description, simply byillustrating a number of particular embodiments and implementations,including the best mode contemplated for carrying out the invention. Theinvention is also capable of other and different embodiments, and itsseveral details can be modified in various obvious respects, all withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, thedrawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature,and not as restrictive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example, andnot by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1A is a diagram of a system capable of presentingprivacy-respectful and personalized location-based comments based onpassenger context and vehicle proximity to the location, according toone embodiment;

FIG. 1B is a diagram of a geographic database of the system of FIG. 1A,according to one embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a diagram of the components of a presentation platform,according to one embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a process for presenting privacy-respectful andpersonalized location-based comments based on passenger context andvehicle proximity to the location, according to one embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a diagram of a navigation route and respective locationsassociated with privacy-respectful and personalized location-basedcomments, according to one embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a diagram of user interfaces of a user device presenting aprivacy-respectful and personalized location-based comment, according tovarious embodiments;

FIG. 6 is a diagram of user interfaces within a vehicle presenting aprivacy-respectful and personalized location-based comment, according tovarious embodiments;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a process for modifying privacy-respectful andpersonalized location-based comments based on user reactions, accordingto one embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a diagram of hardware that can be used to implement anembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 9 is a diagram of a chip set that can be used to implement anembodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 10 is a diagram of a mobile terminal (e.g., mobile computer) thatcan be used to implement an embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SOME EMBODIMENTS

Examples of a method, apparatus, and computer program for presentingprivacy-respectful and personalized location-based comments based onpassenger context and vehicle proximity to the location are disclosed.In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, numerousspecific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the embodiments of the invention. It is apparent,however, to one skilled in the art that the embodiments of the inventionmay be practiced without these specific details or with an equivalentarrangement. In other instances, well-known structures and devices areshown in block diagram form in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuringthe embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 1A is a diagram of a system capable of presentingprivacy-respectful and personalized location-based comments based onpassenger context and vehicle (e.g., an autonomous or semi-autonomouscar) proximity to the location, according to one embodiment. As notedabove, service providers and device manufacturers are increasingly usinghighly relevant and/or personalized content to provide better serviceand/or increase user engagement with their respective services, content,and/or devices. Such personalized content can also potentially causeprivacy concerns for a user, particularly when the personalized contentis presented in a vehicle and can be heard, seen, or otherwise accessedby other passengers.

Personalized content can be any content generated that considers or usespreviously collected personal data (e.g., profile information,interaction history, context, etc.). By way of example, the General DataProtection Regulation (“GDPR”) covers data protection and privacy forall individuals within the European Union (EU) and the European EconomicArea (EEA). It also addresses the export of personal data outside the EUand EEA areas. GDPR defines ‘personal data’ as any information relatingto an identified or identifiable natural person (‘data subject’); anidentifiable natural person is one who can be identified, directly orindirectly, in particular by reference to an identifier such as a name,an identification number, location data, an online identifier or to oneor more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic,mental, economic, cultural or social identity of that natural person. Onthe other hand, the definition of personal data in USA is not uniformacross states and regulations. In one embodiment, personal data orprivacy-sensitive data associated with a user includes any informationthat relates to an identifiable individual.

However, personalized content is derived from user data, other people orusers who also apprehend the personalized content may receive or inferthe underlying user data, thereby creating potential privacy concernswhen such data is exposed to other users in the same vehicle.

To address these technical problems, a system 100 of FIG. 1A introducesa capability to present privacy-respectful and personalizedlocation-based comments based on passenger context and vehicle proximityto the location, according to one embodiment. In one embodiment, theprivacy-respectful and personalized location-based comments can beassociated with a location in map data (e.g., map data of a geographicdatabase 117) for the system 100 to either present privacy-respectfuland personalized location-based comments to the user or take actionsbased on the freshness of the personalized location-based comments. Themap data can include digital map data, high resolution map data, indoormap data, etc.

In one embodiment, the system 100 queries a database for theprivacy-respectful and personalized location-based comments based on thelocation of the vehicle and a privacy level associated with the user.The privacy level may be set by the system 100 and/or the user. In oneembodiment, the privacy level is set based on one more privacy rulesand/or policies defined via privacy context parameters with respect touser context, passenger context, vehicle context, environmental context,etc.

In one embodiment, the privacy levels are set as from low: “almostimpersonal” to high: “extremely personal” considering the context,including but not limited to user context, passenger context, vehiclecontext, environmental context, etc. For example, the user sets aprivacy rule of not playing highly personal content when the user iswith another passenger in the car which is not from a close family. Asanother example, the user sets a privacy rule of not playing highlypersonal content when the user is passing a particular point ofinterest, location, street, area, city, etc. in a geofence-like manner.

In other embodiments, the privacy levels are set based on socialrelationship distances between users, frequency and/or length of socialinteractions (e.g., in person meetings, calls, emails, texts, IMs,likes, etc.) among the users, and/or the like, with respect to anynumbers of kinds/types/granularity levels of personal data.

In one embodiment, the privacy levels may be set as five: user only,family, friends, contacts, public. In another embodiment, the fiveprivacy levels are further broken down into sub-levels based on usercontext/preferences, passenger context/preferences, vehicle context,environmental context, etc. For example, the system 100 and/or the usersets a privacy rule of sharing personal data of friends only in theirpresence. When Joe and/or his wife are in the same vehicle with theuser, the system 100 can present: “In 100 meters, you will arrive at theplace where your friend Joe proposed his wife after 8 years together in2009, click here to view the related photos and comments on socialmedia.”

The system 100 and/or the user may set privacy sub-rules of sharingpersonal data of close friends only in their presence per kind/type ofpersonal data, e.g., names, activity types, event types, event times,event location type, data formats, etc. For example, the user sets aprivacy rule of not making comments that could give hints about her/hisage unless direct family members, such as “Here are now the film studioswhere the movies you were watching were shots when you were a teenager.”

Per each kind/type of personal data, the system 100 and/or the user mayfurther set a granularity level. For instance, the event time is limitedto year, but not to disclose season, month, day, time of the day, etc.,the name is limited to a first name without the last name of a closefriend, and the shared data format is limited to photos but not video oraudio recordings.

It is contemplated that the approach describe herein is applicable toany privacy setting, rule and/or policy or combinations of privacysettings, rules and/or policies.

The database includes a plurality of personalized privacy-sensitivespatial data records associated with the user, and the plurality ofpersonalized privacy-sensitive spatial data records is classifiedaccording to a plurality of predetermined privacy levels.

The map data was assembled from sensor data, contextual data, or acombination thereof during operations of a plurality of vehicles. By wayof example, the vehicles (e.g., vehicles 101) may be autonomous orsemi-autonomous vehicles (e.g., cars, buses, scooters, etc.). In oneembodiment, the vehicles could be any means of transportation where apassenger is not in control (e.g., an airplane, a train, a ferry, etc.).

In one embodiment, the map data can be combined with historical data forthe same geographic areas of interest (e.g., the location in which avehicle is expected to drive). The historical data, for instance,comprises data collected on vehicle drives or trajectories (e.g.,vehicle probe data representing historical travel data as a sequence oftime-ordered vehicle and heading measurements), corresponding userevents (e.g., concerts, festivals, parades, etc.) and/or activities(e.g., sightseeing, biking, shopping, etc.) taking place at locationsalong a route of the vehicle, and/or other related data (e.g., weather,visibility, etc. at the time of the drive). In this way, according toone embodiment, the privacy-respectful and personalized location-basedcomments can be generated and/or retrieved based on historical activitydata, historical travel data, or a combination thereof collected fromthe location along a route of the vehicle.

In one embodiment, the system 100 can determine a location of interestfor a vehicle based on any means. For example, if the user has entered adestination into a navigation system, the predicted route can be used todetermine what geographic point or road segment is coming next. Then thecomments generated and/or stored in the database and/or the map data ofthe location can be used. In another example, if a destination is notdetermined, the system 100 can use historical data to determine aprobability that the vehicle 101 will make a certain maneuver. Forexample, the system 100 can calculate a probability D to indicate whatroad segment among different road segments a vehicle 101 is likely totake. By way of example, the probability D can be a joint probabilitydistribution or matrix for parameters X, Y, Z, . . . that gives theprobability that each of X, Y, Z, . . . falls in any particular range ordiscrete set of values specified for that variable. For example, X canbe an average speed profile parameter (e.g., three out of four timesthat vehicles with an average speed of 15 Mph made a right turn and oneout of four times that the vehicles with an average speed of 45 Mphdrove straight via), Y is a is a personal reaction time parameter (e.g.,5 minutes), and Z is a maneuver distance parameter (e.g., 200 feet).

In one embodiment, the calculated probability can then be used todetermine which road segment to travel by the user based on theindividual parameters. Once the road segment to travel by the user isdetermined, the system 100 can determine which privacy-respectful andpersonalized location-based comment to present in the vehicle.

In one embodiment, the system 100 presents the privacy-respectful andpersonalized comment before passing the associated location. In anotherembodiment, the system 100 presents the privacy-respectful andpersonalized comment when passing the associated location. In anotherembodiment, the system 100 presents the privacy-respectful andpersonalized comment after passing the associated location.

In one embodiment, the system 100 presents the privacy-respectful andpersonalized comment, for example, in an audio interface, a hapticinterface, and/or a visual interface.

Such haptic interface applies haptic technologies that recreate thesense of touch by applying forces, vibrations, and/or motions to theuser, such as simulating an activity/event like an earthquake, a caraccident, etc. using vehicles 103, UE 105, etc.

Such visual interface may include a two dimensional (2D), threedimensional (3D), augmented reality (AR), and/or virtual reality (VR)view inside a vehicle, such as on a window (e.g., a vehicle windshield,a heads-up display, etc.) or in a display (e.g., a handheld display suchas a mobile phone or an integrated dashboard or headrest display).

In one instance, the user interface could also be a goggle or aneyeglass device used separately or in connection with a mobile device.In one embodiment, the system 100 can present or surface theprivacy-respectful and personalized comment in multiple interfacessimultaneously (e.g., presenting a 2D map, a 3D map, an AR view, a VRdisplay, or a combination thereof). In one instance, the system 100 canpresent the privacy-respectful and personalized comment through multipleinterfaces within the vehicle based on the location or positioning ofthe passengers (e.g., a windshield for passengers in the front seats andon side windows for passengers in the back seats). For example, eachpassenger in the vehicle is presented with a differentprivacy-respectful and personalized comment based on a privacy levelassociated with the passenger.

To deliver comments with different privacy levels for differentpassengers, the system 100 deploys various visual technologies, such asadapting different projection depths to make one image visible to onepassenger from one viewing angle while invisible or substantiallyinvisible for another passenger from another viewing angle.

In one embodiment, the system 100 could also present theprivacy-respectful and personalized comment to a passenger through oneor more audio signals, such as sounds, music, etc. To deliver commentswith different privacy levels for different passengers, the system 100can deploy various directional precisely controlled audio technologies,such as focused audio technologies that generate a tight, narrow beam ofsound aiming at a particular passenger in the vehicle and quiet forother passengers. For example, the system 100 could deliver theprivacy-respectful and personalized comment through speakers or the likeof the vehicle that adapt the focused audio technologies as accurate aswithin 20 cm.

In another embodiment, the system 100 delivers comments in differentlanguages depending on the comments and the relevel privacy levels. Forexample, a language shared by a group of passengers (e.g., French) isused to deliver a comment to be shared by the passengers while otherpassengers do not know the language will not understand the comment. Asanother example, different languages are used for different comments fordifferent passengers only known to each respective passenger, so none ofthe comments will be shared.

This presentation of the privacy-respectful and personalized comment canhelp the passenger to remember past precious moments and have a deeperconnection with the relevant location.

In one embodiment, the system 100 can detect user context via sensordata, etc. The sensor data may be collected using a sensor configured todetect the presence of one or more other passengers in the vehicle,which affect the privacy level applicable to the privacy-respectful andpersonalized comment.

In one embodiment, when there are several privacy-respectful andpersonalized comments associated with the same location, the system 100can prioritize or rank the privacy-respectful and personalized commentsbased on the user and/or vehicle context, and determines to present oneor more of the privacy-respectful and personalized comments,before/during/after the vehicle passing the location.

In another embodiment, when there are several privacy-respectful andpersonalized comments associated with locations in the vicinity, thesystem 100 can prioritize or rank the privacy-respectful andpersonalized comments based on the user and/or vehicle context, anddetermine to present one or more of the privacy-respectful andpersonalized comments, before/during/after the vehicle passing thelocation.

The user contextual data may include, for example, user profile data,user preferences, user behaviors/activities in the vehicle, etc. Thevehicle contextual data may include, for example, mapping or routeinformation, passenger location and/or positioning within the autonomousvehicle, object movement information (e.g., static versus moving),status information (e.g., traffic light status, construction status,etc.), time of day, weather conditions, visibility, historical data,etc. In one embodiment, the system 100 collects the sensor data,contextual data, or a combination through one or more sensors such ascamera sensors, light sensors, Light Imaging Detection and Ranging(Lidar) sensors, Radio Detection and Ranging (Radar), infrared sensors,thermal sensors, and the like, to determine the type/kind of thenon-driving activities.

In one embodiment, the system 100 processes the sensor data, thecontextual data, or a combination thereof to determine the userbehaviors/activities in the vehicle. The user behaviors/activities inthe vehicle may be independent from a user device, such as eating,reading a book, tending to children, sleeping, applying make-up, etc.The user behaviors/activities in the vehicle may be performed on theuser device, such as making or receiving a call, writing or sendingmessages/posts/comments, taking pictures, browsing internet, recordingvideos, watching movies, reading a book or e-book, gaming, VR use, etc.The privacy-respectful and personalized comments can begenerated/retrieved from the database and/or the map data based on arelevance factor of a privacy-respectful and personalized comment to theuser behaviors/activities in the vehicle.

In one embodiment, the system 100 can detect a user's or passenger'sgaze, heartrate, sweat rate or perspiration level, eye movement, bodymovement, or a combination thereof. In one instance, the body movementcould include a passenger pointing at a tree with a finger, or any othermovements. For example, the system 100 could track the eyes of apassenger (e.g., focusing at a museum on the left and then a plaza onthe right) to determine the type/kind of points of interest or an objectthe user is focusing, in order to present privacy-respectful andpersonalized comments accordingly.

The presentation of the privacy-respectful and personalized comments toa passenger by the system 100 can inform and entertain the passenger(s)inside of the autonomous vehicle with relevant and personal information.The system 100, for instance, in addition to providing an audio and/orvisual representation, can also provide a passenger with arecommendation of actions to stop at the location, to edit/correct theprivacy-respectful and personalized comments, to bookmark, forward,like, and/or post the privacy-respectful and personalized comments, toleave a new comment on privacy-respectful and personalized comments, toedit/correct the new comment, to bookmark, forward, like, and/or postthe new comment, etc. Since there are limits of each passenger, e.g.,how far into the past a passenger normally remembers different events,the presentation of the privacy-respectful and personalized comments canbring back the memory.

In one embodiment, to generate and/or retrieve privacy-respectful andpersonalized location-based comments, the system 100 extracts from apersonal map data collected during user historicalwalking/jogging/running/biking activities, historical vehicle operations(e.g., autonomous and/or semi-autonomous cars) to save real-timecomputing and/or communication resources. The personal map data can bestored on the UE 105 and/or a cloud. In one embodiment, the personal mapdata (e.g., data indicating or used for indicating specific actions ormaneuvers the user/vehicle performed at different locations). Forexample, the system 100 and/or the user created a one-week New York Citytouring maps with locations and/or route markers as well as texts, URLs,photos, videos tagged thereon that are generated by the user and/orother users for a family trip in 2016.

In one embodiment, the system 100 can then present privacy-respectfuland personalized location-based comments based on the one or morespecified parameters. By way of example, a parameter can include a timeduration (e.g., 5 seconds, 10 seconds, 20 seconds, etc.), a startingtime (e.g., a user initiated starting time or a starting time determinedby the system 100 based on data of the privacy-respectful andpersonalized location-based comments), a time direction (e.g., forwardsor backwards), starting direction, etc. or a combination thereof.Following the examples described above for a car, the system 100 canpresent privacy-respectful and personalized location-based comments fora user in a train, an airplane, or a boat, for example. In oneembodiment, the privacy-respectful and personalized location-basedcomments can be based on vehicle telemetry data where other traditionalmeans of recording past events (e.g., recorded video) to conservereal-time consumption of system resources by pre-processing and storingprivacy-respectful and personalized location-based comments in the mapdata and/or the personal map data.

In one embodiment, when the system 100 determines a highly relevantcomment cannot be played in the vehicle due to a privacy level and/orother privacy restrictions, the system 100 queues the highly relevantcomment to play to the user later, based on a relevant privacy ruleassociated with the user. For example, the privacy rule is set as: notto comment on the Summer Street junction where Uncle Joe was hit by acar, when any family member is in the vehicle; yet playing the commentlater when the family member leaves the vehicle. Such a privacy rule maybe set by the user when passing by the Summer Street junction, by sayinga voice command to system 100: “Tag the Summer Street junction in 100feet as where Uncle Joe was hit by a car, and delay comment on theSummer Street junction until no family member is in the vehicle.”

In one embodiment, the system 100 can detect via a sensor or receivingan input specifying data indicating a reaction of the user to thepresentation of the privacy-respectful and personalized location-basedcomments. The input can be received via a user interface and/or a userinterface element. By way of example, a user interface and/or the userinterface element could include an interface that enables gestures/touchinteraction, an interface that enables voice commands, a knob or rollerball-based interface, etc. In one embodiment, the system 100 and theuser interface element, e.g., a joystick, enable a passenger to leavefeedback/reaction for the to the presentation of the comments.

In one embodiment, the user interface element (e.g., a knob, a roller ortrackball-based interface, etc.) may also be used by a passenger tocontrol the presentation of privacy-respectful and personalizedlocation-based comments. In one instance, a passenger can use theinterface element to control and manipulate the visualization of theprivacy-respectful and personalized location-based comments over time(i.e., “playing with the time”) by varying colors, styles, screenpositions, etc. of the comments in a variety of increments (e.g., 5second, 10 second, 20 second). In one embodiment, a passenger may alsotailor the presentation to her/his interests, for example, presentingonly one comment, multiple comments, for a specific time period of thefuture, or based on a relevance factor of the comment (i.e., until athreshold value based on time and context is met).

In one embodiment, the system 100 or the user could organize the commentpresentations in the user interfaces based on a relevance factor to oneuser's preferences (e.g., more relevant comments being presented on thewindshield or a heads-up display and comments of less interest beingpresented on side windows).

In another embodiment, after the system 100 presents respectiveprivacy-respectful and personalized location-based comments to differentpassengers. The system 100 identifies whether the user acknowledged thecomments and if any reaction the user had to the comments. By way ofexample, the system 100 can determine that a comment has a high relevantfactor for the user with a location either implicitly (e.g., throughsensors, such as brain reading technology, monitoring physical changessuch as increasing heart rate, pulse, adrenaline levels, breathingpatterns, etc.) or explicitly (e.g., user inputs/surveys, etc.). Usingthe reaction, the system 100 can modify a subsequent personalizedcomment.

In one embodiment, the system 100 can enable the user to modify thecomments. By way of example, a user may decide to leave out the yearfrom the comment. Although there are more passengers in the example of aplane, train, ferry, etc., the system 100 can enable each passenger tomodify his/her respective comments. However, when there is a sharedcomment among the passengers, e.g., including personal data ofindividual passengers, the system 100 detects a majority of thepassengers sharing an identical preference, and allow the users tocollectively modify the comment, etc. much like a single user wouldmodify a comment.

In one embodiment, the system 100 provides the user informationregarding personal data sources of a comment, information regarding howthe personal data was obtained, and/or information regarding from wherethe comment is extracted. In one embodiment, the system 100 presents aninteractive icon or tab of “how does the system know this?” when thecomment is played, for the user to select. After the user selection, thesystem 100 provides additional data source details about the commentand/or go to the data source. For example, the system 100 shows that thecomment was based on a photo album, face recognition of the involvedpeople, content extracted from SMS messages of the user, an extractedphone conversation, public information about a social media event, etc.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the system 100 comprises one or more vehicles 101a-101 n (also collectively referred to herein as vehicles 101)configured with one or more vehicle sensors 103 a-103 n (alsocollectively referred to herein as vehicle sensors 103), one or moreuser equipment (UE) 105 a-105 n (also collectively referred to herein asUEs 105) having connectivity to a presentation platform 107 via acommunication network 109. In one embodiment, the vehicles 101 areautonomous vehicles or highly assisted driving vehicles that can sensetheir environments and navigate within a travel network 111 withoutdriver or occupant input. In one embodiment, one or more passengers areriding within the vehicle 101 a. Although the vehicles 101 are depictedas automobiles, it is contemplated the vehicle 101 may be an any type oftransportation wherein a passenger is not in control (e.g., an airplane,a train, a ferry, etc.). In one embodiment, the vehicle sensors 103(e.g., camera sensors, light sensors, Lidar sensors, radar, infraredsensors, thermal sensors, and the like) acquire map data during anoperation of the vehicle 101 along one or more roads 113 within thetravel network 111. By of example, the map data may include mapping orroute information, and optionally traffic status information (e.g.,traffic light status, construction status, etc., time of day, weatherconditions, visibility information, historical data, etc.). In oneembodiment, the vehicle sensors 103 can determine passenger location andor positioning within the vehicle 101 and whether a passenger isfocusing on a location or an object outside of the vehicle.

In one embodiment, the UEs 105 can be associated with any of the typesof vehicles or a person or thing traveling within the travel network111. By way of example, the UE 105 can be any type of mobile terminal,fixed terminal, or portable terminal including a mobile handset,station, unit, device, multimedia computer, multimedia tablet, Internetnode, communicator, desktop computer, laptop computer, notebookcomputer, netbook computer, tablet computer, personal communicationsystem (PCS) device, personal navigation device, personal digitalassistants (PDAs), audio/video player, digital camera/camcorder,positioning device, fitness device, television receiver, radio broadcastreceiver, electronic book device, game device, devices associated withone or more vehicles or any combination thereof, including theaccessories and peripherals of these devices, or any combinationthereof. It is also contemplated that the UE 105 can support any type ofinterface to the user (such as “wearable” circuitry, etc.). In oneembodiment, the one or more vehicles may have cellular or wirelessfidelity (Wi-Fi) connection either through the inbuilt communicationequipment or from the UE 105 associated with the vehicles 101. Also, theUEs 105 may be configured to access a communication network 109 by wayof any known or still developing communication protocols. In oneembodiment, the UEs 105 include a user interface element configured toreceive a user input (e.g., a knob, a joystick, a rollerball ortrackball-based interface, a touch screen, etc.). In one embodiment, theuser interface element could also include a pressure sensor on a screenor a window (e.g., a windshield of a vehicle 101, a heads-up display,etc.) whose intensity reflects the movement of time, an interfaceelement that enables gestures/touch interaction by a user, an interfaceelement that enables voice commands by a user, or a combination thereof.In one embodiment, the UEs 101 may are configured with various passengersensors 115 a-115 (also collectively referred to herein as passengersensors 115) for collecting passenger sensor data during an operation ofthe vehicle 101 along one or more roads 113 within the travel network111. By way of example, the passenger sensors 115 are any type of sensorthat can detect a passenger's gaze, heartrate, sweat rate orperspiration level, eye movement, body movement, or combination thereof,in order to determine whether a passenger is focusing on a point ofinterest or object outside of the vehicle, etc.

In one embodiment, the vehicles 101 also have connectivity to apresentation platform 107 over the communication network 109. In oneembodiment, the presentation platform 107 performs the process forpresenting privacy-respectful and personalized location-based commentsbased on passenger context and vehicle proximity to the location asdiscussed with respect to the various embodiments described herein. Inone embodiment, the presentation platform 107 can be a cloud-basedplatform that collects and processes sensor data from sensors 103 and115, contextual data regarding the passengers and the vehicle 101'ssurroundings, or a combination thereof. In one embodiment, thepresentation platform 107 can be a standalone server or a component ofanother device with connectivity to the communication network 109. Forexample, the component can be part of an edge computing network whereremote computing devices (not shown) are installed along or withinproximity of the travel network 111. In one embodiment, the presentationplatform 107 performs functions related to generating mapping data(e.g., location-based records) related to static objects proximate tothe vehicle 101 (e.g., vehicles, pedestrians, traffic lights, etc.) andcorrelates them to geographic areas described in a geographic database117. In one embodiment, the presentation platform 107 has connectivityover the communication network 109 to the services platform 119 (e.g.,an OEM platform) that provides one or more services 121 a-121 n (alsocollectively referred to herein as services 121) (e.g., sensor datacollection services). By way of example, the services 121 may also beother third-party services and include mapping services, navigationservices, travel planning services, notification services, socialnetworking services, content (e.g., audio, video, images, etc.)provisioning services, application services, storage services,contextual information determination services, location-based services,information-based services (e.g., weather, news, etc.), etc.

In one embodiment, content providers 123 a-123 n (collectively referredto as content providers 123) may provide content or data (e.g.,including geographic data, parametric representations of mappedfeatures, historical data, etc.) to the geographic database 117, thepresentation platform 107, the services platform 119, the services 121,and the vehicles 101. The content provided may be any type of content,such as map content, contextual content, audio content, video content,image content, etc. In one embodiment, the content providers 123 mayalso store content associated with the geographic database 117,presentation platform 107, services platform 119, services 121, and/orvehicles 101. In another embodiment, the content providers 123 maymanage access to a central repository of data, and offer a consistent,standard interface to data, such as a repository of the geographicdatabase 117.

By way of example, as previously stated the vehicle sensors 103 may beany type of sensor. In certain embodiments, the vehicle sensors 103 mayinclude, for example, a global positioning sensor for gathering locationdata, a network detection sensor for detecting wireless signals orreceivers for different short-range communications (e.g., Bluetooth,Wi-Fi, light fidelity (Li-Fi), near field communication (NFC) etc.),temporal information sensors, a camera/imaging sensor for gatheringimage data (e.g., for detecting objects proximate to the vehicle 101 a),an audio recorder for gathering audio data (e.g., detecting nearbyhumans or animals via acoustic signatures such as voices or animalnoises), velocity sensors, and the like. In another embodiment, thevehicle sensors 103 may include sensors (e.g., mounted along a perimeterof the vehicle 101) to detect the relative distance of the vehicle fromlanes or roadways, the presence of other vehicles (e.g., vehicle 101 n),pedestrians, animals, traffic lights, road features (e.g., curves) andany other objects, or a combination thereof. In one scenario, thevehicle sensors 103 may detect weather data, traffic information, or acombination thereof. In one example embodiment, the vehicles may includeGPS receivers to obtain geographic coordinates from satellites 125 fordetermining current location and time. Further, the location can bedetermined by a triangulation system such as A-GPS, Cell of Origin, orother location extrapolation technologies when cellular or networksignals are available. In another example embodiment, the one or morevehicle sensors 103 may provide in-vehicle navigation services.

The communication network 109 of system 100 includes one or morenetworks such as a data network, a wireless network, a telephonynetwork, or any combination thereof. It is contemplated that the datanetwork may be any local area network (LAN), metropolitan area network(MAN), wide area network (WAN), a public data network (e.g., theInternet), short range wireless network, or any other suitablepacket-switched network, such as a commercially owned, proprietarypacket-switched network, e.g., a proprietary cable or fiber-opticnetwork, and the like, or any combination thereof. In addition, thewireless network may be, for example, a cellular network and may employvarious technologies including enhanced data rates for global evolution(EDGE), general packet radio service (GPRS), global system for mobilecommunications (GSM), Internet protocol multimedia subsystem (IMS),universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), etc., as well as anyother suitable wireless medium, e.g., worldwide interoperability formicrowave access (WiMAX), Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks, codedivision multiple access (CDMA), wideband code division multiple access(WCDMA), wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), wireless LAN (WLAN), Bluetooth®,Internet Protocol (IP) data casting, satellite, mobile ad-hoc network(MANET), and the like, or any combination thereof.

In one embodiment, the presentation platform 107 may be a platform withmultiple interconnected components. By way of example, the presentationplatform 107 may include multiple servers, intelligent networkingdevices, computing devices, components and corresponding software fordetermining upcoming vehicle events for one or more locations based, atleast in part, on signage information. In addition, it is noted that thepresentation platform 107 may be a separate entity of the system 100, apart of the services platform 119, the one or more services 121, or thecontent providers 123.

In one embodiment, the geographic database 117 stores information onroad links (e.g., road length, road breadth, slope information,curvature information, etc.), probe data for one or more road links 113(e.g., traffic density information), and historical accident dataassociated the road links 113 or other geographic areas within thetravel network 111. The information may be any of multiple types ofinformation that can provide means for triggering vehicle sensoractivation based on proximate object detection. In another embodiment,the geographic database 117 may be in a cloud and/or in a vehicle 101(e.g., an autonomous car) and/or a mobile device (e.g., a UE 105).

In another embodiment, the geographic database 117 stores theafore-discussed personal map data.

By way of example, the vehicles 101, the UEs 105, the presentationplatform 107, the services platform 119, and the content providers 123communicate with each other and other components of the communicationnetwork 109 using well known, new or still developing protocols. In thiscontext, a protocol includes a set of rules defining how the networknodes within the communication network 109 interact with each otherbased on information sent over the communication links. The protocolsare effective at different layers of operation within each node, fromgenerating and receiving physical signals of various types, to selectinga link for transferring those signals, to the format of informationindicated by those signals, to identifying which software applicationexecuting on a computer system sends or receives the information. Theconceptually different layers of protocols for exchanging informationover a network are described in the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI)Reference Model.

Communications between the network nodes are typically effected byexchanging discrete packets of data. Each packet typically comprises (1)header information associated with a particular protocol, and (2)payload information that follows the header information and containsinformation that may be processed independently of that particularprotocol. In some protocols, the packet includes (3) trailer informationfollowing the payload and indicating the end of the payload information.The header includes information such as the source of the packet, itsdestination, the length of the payload, and other properties used by theprotocol. Often, the data in the payload for the particular protocolincludes a header and payload for a different protocol associated with adifferent, higher layer of the OSI Reference Model. The header for aparticular protocol typically indicates a type for the next protocolcontained in its payload. The higher layer protocol is said to beencapsulated in the lower layer protocol. The headers included in apacket traversing multiple heterogeneous networks, such as the Internet,typically include a physical (layer 1) header, a data-link (layer 2)header, an internetwork (layer 3) header and a transport (layer 4)header, and various application (layer 5, layer 6 and layer 7) headersas defined by the OSI Reference Model.

FIG. 1B is a diagram of the geographic database 117 of the system 100,according to exemplary embodiments. In the exemplary embodiments, mapdata, contextual data, privacy-respectful and personalizedlocation-based comments, relevance data, confidence data, etc. can bestored, associated with, and/or linked to the geographic database 117 ordata thereof. In one embodiment, the geographic or map database 117includes geographic data 161 used for (or configured to be compiled tobe used for) mapping and/or navigation-related services, such as fortriggering privacy-respectful and personalized location-based commentsas discussed in the various embodiments described herein. The geographicdata 161 can also be used for personalized route determination,according to exemplary embodiments. For example, the geographic database117 includes node data records 163, road segment or link data records165, POI data records 167, comment data records 169, passenger records171, and indexes 173 for example. More, fewer or different data recordscan be provided. In one embodiment, the additional data records (notshown) can include cartographic (“cartel”) data records, routing data,and maneuver data. In one embodiment, the indexes 173 may improve thespeed of data retrieval operations in the geographic database 117. Forexample, the indexes 173 may be used to quickly locate data withouthaving to search every row in the geographic database 117 every time itis accessed.

In exemplary embodiments, the road segment data records 165 are links orsegments representing roads (e.g., road 113 of the travel network 111),streets, parking areas, or paths, as can be used in the calculated routeor recorded route information for determination of one or morepersonalized routes, according to exemplary embodiments. The node datarecords 163 are end points corresponding to the respective links orsegments of the road segment data records 165. The road link datarecords 165 and the node data records 163 represent a road network ortravel network 111, such as used by vehicles, cars, and/or otherentities. Alternatively, the geographic database 117 can contain pathsegment and node data records or other data that represent pedestrianpaths or areas in addition to or instead of the vehicle road recorddata, for example.

The road link and nodes can be associated with attributes, such asgeographic coordinates, street names, address ranges, speed limits, turnrestrictions at intersections, and other navigation related attributes,as well as POIs, such as gasoline stations, hotels, restaurants,museums, stadiums, offices, automobile dealerships, auto repair shops,buildings, stores, parks, parking areas (attributes on which parkingareas are critical) etc. The geographic database 117 can include dataabout the POIs and their respective locations in the POI data records167. The geographic database 117 can also include data about places,such as cities, towns, or other communities, and other geographicfeatures, such as bodies of water, mountain ranges, etc. Such place orfeature data can be part of the POI data 167 or can be associated withPOIs or POI data records 167 (such as a data point used for displayingor representing a position of a city).

In one embodiment, the geographic database 117 also includes commentdata records 169. For example, a comment data record 169 may specify oneor more privacy-respectful and personalized location-based commentsmapped to a location of the geographic data 161, such as “In 100 m, youwill arrive at the place with a tree where your friend Joe proposed hiswife after 8 years together in 2009, click here to view the relatedphotos and comments on social media”. In another embodiment, the commentis anonymized by excluding user identification data therefrom, such as“In 100 m, you will arrive at the place with a tree where one friendproposed his wife.”

In one embodiment, the geographic database 117 also includes passengerrecords 171. Personal data included in the passenger records 171 may bederived from a lot of different sources, including but not limited toonline data sources (e.g., applications/sites of social media, gaming,health/sport trackers, dating, mapping, content consumption—movies,music, finance, weather, news, podcasts, etc., etc.), offline datasources, or a combination thereof associated with the user/passenger.For example, a passenger record 171 includes a family tree, a photolibrary, a history of online and offline purchases, a history ofconsumed media, a contact history, medical data, or a combinationthereof associated with the user.

In one embodiment, a passenger record 171 may include a personalreaction to a privacy-respectful and personalized location-basedcomment. For instance, the personal reaction can be used by the system100 to modify the privacy-respectful and personalized location-basedcomment.

In one embodiment, the passenger records 171 are anonymized by excludinguser identification data therefrom, and the system 100 uses other userprofile and/or context data to generate/retrieve a privacy-respectfuland personalized location-based comment for a passenger, such as “In 100m, you will arrive at a popular wedding photo location with a tree foryoung tourists like yourself, click here to view the related photos andcomments on social media”. In one embodiment, the user profile dataincludes, but not limited to, age, birthplace, genetic information(e.g., gender, race, etc.), marriage status, criminal records, activityrecords, employment status, medical status, political and non-politicalaffiliations, preferences (e.g., POIs), calendar data, driving historydata, vehicle sharing data, etc. of the user. In one embodiment, theuser context data includes, but not limited to, a destination of theuser, a type of the destination of the user, a proximity of the userlocation the destination, availability of an alternate destination forthe user, a number of passengers accompanying the user, weather data inthe vicinity of the user, etc.

The privacy-respectful and personalized location-based comments can befurther specified by a mode of transport (e.g., bus, boat, airplane,etc.). In this way, the comment data record 169 can provide informationbased on vehicle context data occurring at the location associated withan object (e.g., a tree 127 of FIG. 1A). In addition, the comment datarecord 169 can indicate a privacy level corresponding to the location ofthe geographic data and the mode of transport for the system 100 topresent a privacy-respectful and personalized location-based comment tothe passenger when approaching the location.

The geographic database 117 can be maintained by the content provider123 in association with the services platform 119 (e.g., a mapdeveloper). The map developer can collect geographic data to generateand enhance the geographic database 117. There can be different waysused by the map developer to collect data. These ways can includeobtaining data from other sources, such as municipalities or respectivegeographic authorities. In addition, the map developer can employ fieldpersonnel to travel by vehicle along roads throughout the geographicregion to observe features and/or record information about them, forexample. Also, remote sensing, such as aerial or satellite photography,can be used.

The geographic database 117 can be a master geographic database storedin a format that facilitates updating, maintenance, and development. Forexample, the master geographic database 117 or data in the mastergeographic database 117 can be in an Oracle spatial format or otherspatial format, such as for development or production purposes. TheOracle spatial format or development/production database can be compiledinto a delivery format, such as a geographic data files (GDF) format.The data in the production and/or delivery formats can be compiled orfurther compiled to form geographic database products or databases,which can be used in end user navigation devices or systems.

For example, geographic data is compiled (such as into a platformspecification format (PSF) format) to organize and/or configure the datafor performing navigation-related functions and/or services, such asroute calculation, route guidance, map display, speed calculation,distance and travel time functions, and other functions, by a navigationdevice, such as a navigation system of the vehicle 101, for example. Thenavigation-related functions can correspond to vehicle navigation,pedestrian navigation, or other types of navigation. The compilation toproduce the end user databases can be performed by a party or entityseparate from the map developer. For example, a customer of the mapdeveloper, such as a navigation device developer or other end userdevice developer, can perform compilation on a received geographicdatabase in a delivery format to produce one or more compiled navigationdatabases.

As mentioned above, the geographic database 117 can be a mastergeographic database, but in alternate embodiments, the geographicdatabase 117 can represent a compiled navigation database that can beused in or with end user devices (e.g., vehicles 101, UEs 105) toprovide navigation-related functions or location-based functions (e.g.,triggering vehicle sensor activation based on objects such as a secondvehicle crossing the path and route of the vehicle 101 a). For example,the geographic database 117 can be used with the vehicle 101 to providean end user with navigation features. In such a case, the geographicdatabase 117 can be downloaded or stored in a navigation system of thevehicle 101, or the vehicle 101 can access the geographic database 117through a data connection over the communication network 109, forexample.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of the components of a presentation platform 107,according to one embodiment. By way of example, the presentationplatform 107 includes one or more components for presentingprivacy-respectful and personalized location-based comments based onpassenger context and vehicle proximity to the location (e.g., anautonomous vehicle). It is contemplated that the functions of thesecomponents may be combined in one or more components or performed byother components of equivalent functionality. In one embodiment, thepresentation platform 107 includes an authentication module 201, ananalysis module 203, a privacy module 205, a comment processing module207, a presentation module 209, and a routing module 211. The abovepresented modules and components of the presentation platform 107 can beimplemented in hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof.Though depicted as a separate entity in FIG. 1A, it is contemplated thatthe presentation platform 107 may be implemented as a module of any ofthe components of the system 100. In another embodiment, thepresentation platform 107 and/or one or more of the modules 201-211 maybe implemented as a cloud-based service, local service, nativeapplication, or combination thereof. The functions of the presentationplatform 107 and the modules 201-211 are discussed with respect to FIGS.3-6 below.

In one embodiment, the authentication module 201 authenticates UEs 101and/or associated vehicles 103 for interaction with the presentationplatform 107. By way of example, the authentication module 201 receivesa request to access the presentation platform 107. The request may besubmitted to the authentication module 201 via the communication module209, which enables an interface between the UEs 101 and/or associatedvehicles 103 and the presentation platform 107. In addition, theauthentication module 201 may provide and/or validate access by the UE101 to upload sensor data, trajectory data, and/or other location-basedinformation to the presentation platform 107. In one embodiment, theauthentication module 201 may further be configured to support and/orvalidate the formation of profile by a provider of a service or contentprovider, e.g., for supporting integration of the capabilities forpresenting privacy-respectful and personalized location-based commentsbased on passenger context and vehicle proximity to the location withthe service or content provider.

The analysis module 203 processes the map data and the passenger records127 to generate and/or retrieve a personalized location-based commentfor an upcoming location. As described above, presenting a personalizedlocation-based comment can enhance the passenger's riding experience. Byway of example, the personalized location-based comment may be “In thatstadium, your preferred tennis player won her first major tournament in2001, see the press release here for more details.”

In one instance, the sensor data may be collected by the sensors 115 andsent to the analysis module 203 to determine the vehicle context datavia analyzing passenger location and/or positioning within the vehicle(e.g., the vehicle 101 a), time of day, a user's or a passenger's gaze,heartrate, sweat rate or perspiration level, eye movement, bodymovements (e.g., hand gestures, jaw movements, head motions, arm/fingersmovements, etc.), weather conditions, or a combination thereof.

In one embodiment, the vehicle context data may be sent to the privacymodule 205 to determine a privacy level for modifying the personalizedlocation-based comment into a privacy-respectful comment.

The comment processing module 207 then modifies the personalizedlocation-based comment into a privacy-respectful comment based on theprivacy level, such as “In that stadium, Serena Williams won her firstmajor tournament in 2001,” considering the other passenger is a strangerand can hear the audio comment.

In another embodiment, the privacy module 205 processes the map data andthe passenger records 127 to determine a privacy level, withoutinvolving analysis module 203. The comment processing module 207 thengenerates and/or retrieves a privacy-respectful and personalizedlocation-based comment for the upcoming location, based on the privacylevel.

By way of example, the sensors 115 could include camera sensors, lightsensors, Lidar sensors, radar, infrared sensors, thermal sensors, brainreading technology, a blood pressure cuff, a fingertip pulse oximeterand heart rate monitor, an eye tracking device, or a combinationthereof. For example, the analysis module 203 or the privacy module 205determines that the user is taking a photo of a stadium at the leftside, while the other passenger is staring at a plaza on the right side.Since the other passenger is not looking at the user device of the user,the privacy module 205 determines a privacy level as high, and thecomment processing module 207 determines to present on the viewfinder ofthe user device: “In that stadium, your preferred tennis player won herfirst major tournament in 2001, see the press release here for moredetails.”

As another example, the analysis module 203 or the privacy module 205determines that the user staring at a stadium on the left sight, whilethe other passenger is taking a photo of the stadium. Since the user isnot looking at the user device of the user and both the user and theother passenger is focusing on the stadium, the privacy module 205determines a privacy level as low, and the comment processing module 207determines to play an audio comment via the passenger device: “In thatstadium, Serena Williams won her first major tournament in 2001.”

In one embodiment, the personalized location-based comments and/or theprivacy-respectful and personalized location-based comments areretrieved by the system 100 from a map database stored in a node of athird party provider. In another embodiment, the map data is aggregatedby the system 100 by processing the sensor data, the contextual data, ora combination thereof from a plurality of vehicles, and then generatesthe comments through one or more machine learning approaches, categoryfiltering (e.g., field of view, line of sight, on route, distance,etc.), or a combination thereof.

In one embodiment, the system 100 generates the comments for each typeof points of interest and stores the comments in a personal map databasefor a user. The personal map database be stored in a UE 105 of the user,or in the cloud.

In another embodiment, the comment processing module 207 dynamicallymodifies the comments based on a real-time context/situation, such as aspeed of the vehicle, a personal reaction of the user, a distance to theupcoming location, etc.

The presentation module 209 presents one or more privacy-respectful andpersonalized location-based comments in a user interface. By way ofexample, the user interface can include any type of UE 105 (e.g., amobile device or an in-dash navigation display). In one embodiment, theinterface includes a user interface element configured to receive a userinput (e.g., a knob, a joystick, a rollerball or trackball-basedinterface, a touch screen, etc.) to enable a user/passenger to specify aparameter or the comment presentation. In one instance, the userinterface could comprise a pressure sensor on a screen or a window(e.g., a vehicle windshield or heads-up display) whose intensityreflects the movement of time, an interface that enables gestures/touchinteraction, an interface that enables voice commands, pedals or paddlesof a vehicle (e.g., the vehicle 101 a). In one embodiment, thepresentation module 209 can present the comments to a user/passenger inone or more possible rendered views (e.g., 2D, 3D, AR, VR, etc.). In oneembodiment, the presentation module 209 can present one or more commentson a window (e.g., a windshield or heads-up display of a vehicle 101) orin a display (e.g., a handheld display or an integrated dashboard orheadrest display). In one instance, the presentation module 209 canpresent the comments through a goggle or eyeglass-based device usedseparately or in connection with a mobile device (e.g., a UE 105).

In one embodiment, the presentation module 209 can present or surfacethe comments in multiple interfaces simultaneously (e.g., presenting anAR view on a windshield and a 2D map in a display). In one instance, thepresentation module 209, in connection with the user interface, canpresent the comments through multiple interfaces within the vehicle(e.g., vehicle 101 a) based on the location or positioning of thepassengers (e.g., a windshield for passengers in the front seats and onside windows for passengers in the back seats). In one embodiment, thepresentation module 209 can present the comments through one or moresounds. By way of example, the presentation module 209 could producevoice comments in different settings (e.g., male voice, female voice,English, Chinese, Spanish, etc.) through the speakers of the vehicle101.

In one embodiment, the presentation module 209, in connection with theprivacy module 203, could present recommendations for handling thecomments, such as for adapting the comments to comply with a new privacylevel.

In one embodiment, once the comments and/or recommendations aredetermined, the presentation module 209 can interact with thecommunication module 211 and/or the user interface to present to theuser the cues. The presentation module 209 can interact with thecommunication module 211 and/or the user interface to present to theuser the comments based on the recommendations, the new privacy level,and/or other update information related to the vehicle and user context.

It is further noted that the user interface may operate in connectionwith the communication module 211 to facilitate the exchange ofreal-time location information and/or vehicle information via thecommunication network 109 with respect to the services 121, contentproviders 123. Alternatively, the communication module 211 mayfacilitate transmission of the real-time location information and/or thevehicle information directly to the services 121 or content providers123.

The above presented modules 201-211 and components of the presentationplatform 107 can be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or acombination thereof.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a process for presenting privacy-respectful andpersonalized location-based comments based on passenger context andvehicle proximity to the location, according to one embodiment. Invarious embodiments, the presentation platform 107 and/or the modules201-211 of the presentation platform 107 as shown in FIG. 2 may performone or more portions of the process 300 and may be implement in, forinstance, a chip set including a processor and a memory as shown in FIG.9. As such, the presentation platform 107 and/or the modules 201-211 canprovide means for accomplishing various parts of the process 300, aswell as means for accomplishing embodiments of other processes describedherein in conjunction with other components of the system 100. Althoughthe process 300 is illustrated and described as a sequence of steps, itis contemplated that various embodiments of the process 300 may beperformed in any order or combination and need not include all of theillustrated steps.

In step 301, the presentation platform 107 identifies a user of avehicle, a location of the vehicle, a context of the vehicle, or acombination thereof. FIG. 4 is a diagram of a navigation route andrespective locations associated with privacy-respectful and personalizedlocation-based comments, according to one embodiment. For example, auser and three other passengers ride in a vehicle from a location 401 toa destination 403. The context of the vehicle includes that the vehiclehas 4 seats and is in an autonomous driving mode, and the user sits onthe front row with another passenger while the other two passengers aresitting on the back row. To simplify the discussion, FIG. 4 shows travelsegments as straight lines instead of real-world road lines on a map.The presentation platform 107 determines the navigation route as theoptimal route among all available transport modes available to the userduring the time frame in the area. In this case, the optimal routeincludes four road segments Y1, Y2, Y3, Y4.

In step 303, the presentation platform 107 determines a privacy levelset by the user, associated with the context, or a combination thereof.

For example, the user context includes that the user carries his/her ownUEs 101 and using an earphone. Referring back to the example of FIG. 4,the presentation platform 107 determines that the vehicle is approachinga location 405 a that is in the vicinity of the tree location 407 a, anddetermines a privacy level of the user as high with respect to the UE105.

In step 305, the presentation platform 107 generates a personalizedcomment related to the location, i.e., a privacy-respectful andpersonalized location-based comment, based on the privacy level. Suchpersonalized comment, such as “On the right is the church where yourgrand-parents got married in 1922, it was by the way a very rainy day,”includes privacy-sensitive or personal data associated with the user.For example, the privacy-sensitive data includes a physical attribute, aphysiological attribute, a mental attribute, an economic attribute, acultural attribute, a social identity attribute, or a combinationthereof of the user or an entity associated with the user. The commentcan be generated using advanced analytics like predictive analytics,data mining, big data analytics and machine learning, artificialintelligence (AI) technologies like machine learning, deep learning,etc., using personalized privacy-sensitive spatial data recordsretrieved from a database based on the location of the vehicle and theprivacy level.

In one embodiment, the plurality of personalized privacy-sensitivespatial data records is classified according to a plurality ofpredetermined privacy levels, such as user only, family, friends,contacts, public and optionally with sub-levels defined by various usercontact (e.g., age, activity, mood, etc.), passenger context (e.g.,relationship with the user), vehicle context (e.g., vehicle model, time,location, speed, etc.), environmental context (e.g., weather), etc.

In one embodiment, the personalized privacy-sensitive spatial datarecords (e.g., Mary and John Smith, grand-parents of Jennifer Smith,were married at Mclean Bible Church on Oct. 25, 1922) are generated bythe system 100 and/or third party content providers via parsing aplurality of location-tagged data records (e.g., Mary and John Smithwere married at Mclean Bible Church on Oct. 25, 1922. Mclean Va. had 2inches of rain on Oct. 25, 1922) from one or more online data sources,one or more offline data sources, or a combination thereof associatedwith the user. For example, the one or more online data sources and/orthe one or more offline data sources include a family tree (e.g., Maryand John Smith are grand-parents of Jennifer Smith), a photo library, ahistory of online and offline purchases, a history of consumed media, acontact history, medical data, or a combination thereof associated withthe user.

In one embodiment, the database may be the geographic database 117, apart of the geographic database 117, lined with the records/data of thegeographic database 117, or totally independent from the geographicdatabase 117. In another embodiment, the database may be the personalmap database as discussed, a part of the personal map database, linedwith the records/data of the personal map database, or totallyindependent from the personal map database.

In step 307, the presentation platform 107 triggers a presentation ofthe personalized comment in a user interface of the vehicle, a device,or a combination thereof based on a proximity of the vehicle to thelocation. FIG. 5 is a diagram of user interfaces of the UE 105presenting a privacy-respectful and personalized location-based comment,according to various embodiments. In this case, the presentationplatform 107 shows a highly personalized location-based comment on atouch screen 501: “In 100 m, you will arrive at the place with a treewhere your friend Joe proposed his wife after 8 years together in 2009,click here to view the related photos and comments on social media.”Alternatively or concurrently, the presentation platform 107 providesthe highly personalized location-based voice comment via a speaker 503.When receiving a user input on a position 505 of the word “here” on thetouch screen, the presentation platform 107 retrieves and presentssocial media content, photos, trip details, flights, etc. on the touchscreen 501 and/or via speaker 503.

In another embodiment, the user context includes a user familiarity withthe location determined based on a number of detected visits by the userto the location. For example, the user carpools with a neighbor Wayneand drives via a bakery to pick up a coffee every morning on the way towork. The presentation platform 107 sets the privacy level as “friend”for the neighbor, and determines that the user is very familiar with thebakery. The presentation platform 107 presents a personalized commentbased on the user familiarity and other available context as: “Happybirthday to Wayne, you can pick up his favorite cake in the Bakery atthe coming corner with your coffee.”

For frequently visited or passed via locations, such as the bakery, thepresentation platform 107 presents different comments every time theuser passes the same location to avoid repetition. In one embodiment,the presentation platform 107 compares the personalized comment, e.g.,“Happy birthday to Wayne” to a database of previously presentedcomments, by determining a time at which a matching previously presentedcomment was presented to the user, e.g., Oct. 25, 2017. The presentationof the personalized is triggered based on determining that the time isnot within a designated most recent time period, such as a year.

FIG. 6 is a diagram of user interfaces within a vehicle presenting aprivacy-respectful and personalized location-based comment, according tovarious embodiments. In another embodiment, the user context includesthat the user places his/her own UEs 101 placed on a vehicle controlpane 601 and connecting to a speaker 603 of the vehicle. Thepresentation platform 107 determines a privacy level of the user is lowwith respect to the vehicle, since all other passengers can see thetouch screen 501 and hear signs from the vehicle speaker. In this case,the presentation platform 107 shows a less personalized location-basedcomment on a touch screen 501: “In 100 m, you will arrive at a popularwedding photo location with a tree for young tourists like yourself,click here to view the related photos and comments on social media.”Alternatively or concurrently, the presentation platform 107 providesthe highly personalized location-based voice comment via the vehiclespeaker 603.

The presentation platform 107 generates and/or retrieves differentprivacy-respectful and personalized location-based comments based onpassenger preferences/context and vehicle proximity to the location.Referring back to the example of FIG. 4, the presentation platform 107determines that the vehicle is approaching a location 405 b that is inthe vicinity of a hotel location 407 b based on event data and socialmedia data, and determines a privacy level of the user is high withrespect to the UE 105. In this case, the presentation platform 107 showsa highly personalized location-based comment on the touch screen 501:“Mike F., whom you follow on social media and has two million followers,will talk about his last book in this hotel next Friday.”

Referring back to the example of FIG. 4, the presentation platform 107determines that the vehicle is approaching a location 405 c that is inthe vicinity of an intersection 407 c based on probe data and historicaltraffic data, and determines a privacy level of the user is low withrespect to vehicle. In this case, the presentation platform 107 shows aless personalized location-based comment on the touch screen 501: “Becareful at this complex junction, many accidents happened when taking aright turn here.”

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a process for modifying privacy-respectful andpersonalized location-based comments based on user reactions, accordingto one embodiment. In various embodiments, the presentation platform 107and/or the modules 201-211 of the presentation platform 107 as shown inFIG. 2 may perform one or more portions of the process 700 and may beimplemented in, for instance, a chip set including a processor and amemory as shown in FIG. 9. As such, the presentation platform 107 and/orthe modules 201-211 can provide means for accomplishing various parts ofthe process 700, as well as means for accomplishing embodiments of otherprocesses described herein in conjunction with other components of thesystem 100. Although the process 700 is illustrated and described as asequence of steps, it is contemplated that various embodiments of theprocess 700 may be performed in any order or combination and need notinclude all of the illustrated steps.

In step 701, the presentation platform 107 detects via a sensor orreceiving an input specifying data indicating a reaction of the user tothe presentation of the personalized comment. The data indicating thereaction includes user survey data, feedback data extracted fromuser-generated content data, gaze-tracking data, heartrate data,perspiration data, eye movement data, body movement data, or acombination thereof. For example, the presentation platform 107 detectsthat the user emailed to Joe that the user just passed the place whereJoe proposed his wife and asked how Joe is doing, immediately afterhearing the comment: “In 100 m, you will arrive at the place where yourfriend Joe proposed his wife after 8 years together in 2009, click hereto view the related photos and comments on social media.”

In step 703, the presentation platform 107 modifies a subsequentpersonalized comment based on the data indicating the reaction, e.g.,using a modified comment when passing the same location into: “Yourfriend Joe hasn't replied to your email sent last time you passed by theplace Joe proposed his wife, click here to check on Joe at socialmedia.”

The computation of the different embodiments mentioned previously can bedone partially or totally on servers/cloud, or at the edge of thenetwork in order to balance the network load/cellular usage.

The above-discussed embodiments combine the location-based content withsocial networks or other personal data sets to generate relevant andpersonal comments considering the user's privacy.

The above-discussed embodiments determines a privacy level to presentthe most privacy-appropriate personal comment to the user under the usercontext, passenger context, vehicle context, environment context, etc.when traveling in a vehicle.

The above-discussed embodiments provide information regarding thepersonal data source to the user, so the user can better protect theuser' privacy and personal data, and filter comments.

The above-discussed embodiments automatically modify the comments forfuture presentation.

The above-discussed embodiments lead to a higher acceptance ofautonomous vehicles and their benefits.

The processes described herein for presenting privacy-respectful andpersonalized location-based comments based on passenger context andvehicle proximity to the location may be advantageously implemented viasoftware, hardware (e.g., general processor, Digital Signal Processing(DSP) chip, an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), FieldProgrammable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), etc.), firmware or a combinationthereof. Such exemplary hardware for performing the described functionsis detailed below.

FIG. 8 illustrates a computer system 800 upon which an embodiment of theinvention may be implemented. Although computer system 800 is depictedwith respect to a particular device or equipment, it is contemplatedthat other devices or equipment (e.g., network elements, servers, etc.)within FIG. 8 can deploy the illustrated hardware and components ofsystem 800. Computer system 800 is programmed (e.g., via computerprogram code or instructions) to present privacy-respectful andpersonalized location-based comments based on passenger context andvehicle proximity to the location as described herein and includes acommunication mechanism such as a bus 810 for passing informationbetween other internal and external components of the computer system800. Information (also called data) is represented as a physicalexpression of a measurable phenomenon, typically electric voltages, butincluding, in other embodiments, such phenomena as magnetic,electromagnetic, pressure, chemical, biological, molecular, atomic,sub-atomic and quantum interactions. For example, north and southmagnetic fields, or a zero and non-zero electric voltage, represent twostates (0, 1) of a binary digit (bit). Other phenomena can representdigits of a higher base. A superposition of multiple simultaneousquantum states before measurement represents a quantum bit (qubit). Asequence of one or more digits constitutes digital data that is used torepresent a number or code for a character. In some embodiments,information called analog data is represented by a near continuum ofmeasurable values within a particular range. Computer system 800, or aportion thereof, constitutes a means for performing one or more steps ofpresenting privacy-respectful and personalized location-based commentsbased on passenger context and vehicle proximity to the location.

A bus 810 includes one or more parallel conductors of information sothat information is transferred quickly among devices coupled to the bus810. One or more processors 802 for processing information are coupledwith the bus 810.

A processor (or multiple processors) 802 performs a set of operations oninformation as specified by computer program code related to presentprivacy-respectful and personalized location-based comments based onpassenger context and vehicle proximity to the location. The computerprogram code is a set of instructions or statements providinginstructions for the operation of the processor and/or the computersystem to perform specified functions. The code, for example, may bewritten in a computer programming language that is compiled into anative instruction set of the processor. The code may also be writtendirectly using the native instruction set (e.g., machine language). Theset of operations include bringing information in from the bus 810 andplacing information on the bus 810. The set of operations also typicallyinclude comparing two or more units of information, shifting positionsof units of information, and combining two or more units of information,such as by addition or multiplication or logical operations like OR,exclusive OR (XOR), and AND. Each operation of the set of operationsthat can be performed by the processor is represented to the processorby information called instructions, such as an operation code of one ormore digits. A sequence of operations to be executed by the processor802, such as a sequence of operation codes, constitute processorinstructions, also called computer system instructions or, simply,computer instructions. Processors may be implemented as mechanical,electrical, magnetic, optical, chemical or quantum components, amongothers, alone or in combination.

Computer system 800 also includes a memory 804 coupled to bus 810. Thememory 804, such as a random access memory (RAM) or any other dynamicstorage device, stores information including processor instructions forpresenting privacy-respectful and personalized location-based commentsbased on passenger context and vehicle proximity to the location.Dynamic memory allows information stored therein to be changed by thecomputer system 800. RAM allows a unit of information stored at alocation called a memory address to be stored and retrievedindependently of information at neighboring addresses. The memory 804 isalso used by the processor 802 to store temporary values duringexecution of processor instructions. The computer system 800 alsoincludes a read only memory (ROM) 806 or any other static storage devicecoupled to the bus 810 for storing static information, includinginstructions, that is not changed by the computer system 800. Somememory is composed of volatile storage that loses the information storedthereon when power is lost. Also coupled to bus 810 is a non-volatile(persistent) storage device 808, such as a magnetic disk, optical diskor flash card, for storing information, including instructions, thatpersists even when the computer system 800 is turned off or otherwiseloses power.

Information, including instructions for presenting privacy-respectfuland personalized location-based comments based on passenger context andvehicle proximity to the location, is provided to the bus 810 for use bythe processor from an external input device 812, such as a keyboardcontaining alphanumeric keys operated by a human user, or a sensor. Asensor detects conditions in its vicinity and transforms thosedetections into physical expression compatible with the measurablephenomenon used to represent information in computer system 800. Otherexternal devices coupled to bus 810, used primarily for interacting withhumans, include a display device 814, such as a cathode ray tube (CRT),a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) display, anorganic LED (OLED) display, a plasma screen, or a printer for presentingtext or images, and a pointing device 816, such as a mouse, a trackball,cursor direction keys, or a motion sensor, for controlling a position ofa small cursor image presented on the display 814 and issuing commandsassociated with graphical elements presented on the display 814. In someembodiments, for example, in embodiments in which the computer system800 performs all functions automatically without human input, one ormore of external input device 812, display device 814 and pointingdevice 816 is omitted.

In the illustrated embodiment, special purpose hardware, such as anapplication specific integrated circuit (ASIC) 820, is coupled to bus810. The special purpose hardware is configured to perform operationsnot performed by processor 802 quickly enough for special purposes.Examples of ASICs include graphics accelerator cards for generatingimages for display 814, cryptographic boards for encrypting anddecrypting messages sent over a network, speech recognition, andinterfaces to special external devices, such as robotic arms and medicalscanning equipment that repeatedly perform some complex sequence ofoperations that are more efficiently implemented in hardware.

Computer system 800 also includes one or more instances of acommunications interface 880 coupled to bus 810. Communication interface880 provides a one-way or two-way communication coupling to a variety ofexternal devices that operate with their own processors, such asprinters, scanners and external disks. In general the coupling is with anetwork link 878 that is connected to a local network 880 to which avariety of external devices with their own processors are connected. Forexample, communication interface 880 may be a parallel port or a serialport or a universal serial bus (USB) port on a personal computer. Insome embodiments, communications interface 880 is an integrated servicesdigital network (ISDN) card or a digital subscriber line (DSL) card or atelephone modem that provides an information communication connection toa corresponding type of telephone line. In some embodiments, acommunication interface 880 is a cable modem that converts signals onbus 810 into signals for a communication connection over a coaxial cableor into optical signals for a communication connection over a fiberoptic cable. As another example, communications interface 880 may be alocal area network (LAN) card to provide a data communication connectionto a compatible LAN, such as Ethernet. Wireless links may also beimplemented. For wireless links, the communications interface 880 sendsor receives or both sends and receives electrical, acoustic orelectromagnetic signals, including infrared and optical signals, thatcarry information streams, such as digital data. For example, inwireless devices, such as mobile computers like vehicle infotainmentsystem, the communications interface 880 includes a radio bandelectromagnetic transmitter and receiver called a radio transceiver. Incertain embodiments, the communications interface 880 enables connectionto the communication network 107 for presenting privacy-respectful andpersonalized location-based comments based on passenger context andvehicle proximity to the location to the UE 101.

The term “computer-readable medium” as used herein refers to any mediumthat participates in providing information to processor 802, includinginstructions for execution. Such a medium may take many forms,including, but not limited to computer-readable storage medium (e.g.,non-volatile media, volatile media), and transmission media.Non-transitory media, such as non-volatile media, include, for example,optical or magnetic disks, such as storage device 808. Volatile mediainclude, for example, dynamic memory 804. Transmission media include,for example, twisted pair cables, coaxial cables, copper wire, fiberoptic cables, and carrier waves that travel through space without wiresor cables, such as acoustic waves and electromagnetic waves, includingradio, optical and infrared waves. Signals include man-made transientvariations in amplitude, frequency, phase, polarization or otherphysical properties transmitted through the transmission media. Commonforms of computer-readable media include, for example, a floppy disk, aflexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, any other magnetic medium, aCD-ROM, CDRW, DVD, any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape,optical mark sheets, any other physical medium with patterns of holes orother optically recognizable indicia, a RAM, a PROM, an EPROM, aFLASH-EPROM, an EEPROM, a flash memory, any other memory chip orcartridge, a carrier wave, or any other medium from which a computer canread. The term computer-readable storage medium is used herein to referto any computer-readable medium except transmission media.

Logic encoded in one or more tangible media includes one or both ofprocessor instructions on a computer-readable storage media and specialpurpose hardware, such as ASIC 820.

Network link 878 typically provides information communication usingtransmission media through one or more networks to other devices thatuse or process the information. For example, network link 878 mayprovide a connection through local network 880 to a host computer 882 orto equipment 884 operated by an Internet Service Provider (ISP). ISPequipment 884 in turn provides data communication services through thepublic, world-wide packet-switching communication network of networksnow commonly referred to as the Internet 890.

A computer called a server host 892 connected to the Internet hosts aprocess that provides a service in response to information received overthe Internet. For example, server host 892 hosts a process that providesinformation representing video data for presentation at display 814. Itis contemplated that the components of system 800 can be deployed invarious configurations within other computer systems, e.g., host 882 andserver 892.

At least some embodiments of the invention are related to the use ofcomputer system 800 for implementing some or all of the techniquesdescribed herein. According to one embodiment of the invention, thosetechniques are performed by computer system 800 in response to processor802 executing one or more sequences of one or more processorinstructions contained in memory 804. Such instructions, also calledcomputer instructions, software and program code, may be read intomemory 804 from another computer-readable medium such as storage device808 or network link 878. Execution of the sequences of instructionscontained in memory 804 causes processor 802 to perform one or more ofthe method steps described herein. In alternative embodiments, hardware,such as ASIC 820, may be used in place of or in combination withsoftware to implement the invention. Thus, embodiments of the inventionare not limited to any specific combination of hardware and software,unless otherwise explicitly stated herein.

The signals transmitted over network link 878 and other networks throughcommunications interface 880, carry information to and from computersystem 800. Computer system 800 can send and receive information,including program code, through the networks 880, 890 among others,through network link 878 and communications interface 880. In an exampleusing the Internet 890, a server host 892 transmits program code for aparticular application, requested by a message sent from computer 800,through Internet 890, ISP equipment 884, local network 880 andcommunications interface 880. The received code may be executed byprocessor 802 as it is received, or may be stored in memory 804 or instorage device 808 or any other non-volatile storage for laterexecution, or both. In this manner, computer system 800 may obtainapplication program code in the form of signals on a carrier wave.

Various forms of computer readable media may be involved in carrying oneor more sequence of instructions or data or both to processor 802 forexecution. For example, instructions and data may initially be carriedon a magnetic disk of a remote computer such as host 882. The remotecomputer loads the instructions and data into its dynamic memory andsends the instructions and data over a telephone line using a modem. Amodem local to the computer system 800 receives the instructions anddata on a telephone line and uses an infra-red transmitter to convertthe instructions and data to a signal on an infra-red carrier waveserving as the network link 878. An infrared detector serving ascommunications interface 880 receives the instructions and data carriedin the infrared signal and places information representing theinstructions and data onto bus 810. Bus 810 carries the information tomemory 804 from which processor 802 retrieves and executes theinstructions using some of the data sent with the instructions. Theinstructions and data received in memory 804 may optionally be stored onstorage device 808, either before or after execution by the processor802.

FIG. 9 illustrates a chip set or chip 900 upon which an embodiment ofthe invention may be implemented. Chip set 900 is programmed to provideshared vehicle availability detection based on vehicle trajectoryinformation as described herein and includes, for instance, theprocessor and memory components described with respect to FIG. 10incorporated in one or more physical packages (e.g., chips). By way ofexample, a physical package includes an arrangement of one or morematerials, components, and/or wires on a structural assembly (e.g., abaseboard) to provide one or more characteristics such as physicalstrength, conservation of size, and/or limitation of electricalinteraction. It is contemplated that in certain embodiments the chip set900 can be implemented in a single chip. It is further contemplated thatin certain embodiments the chip set or chip 900 can be implemented as asingle “system on a chip.” It is further contemplated that in certainembodiments a separate ASIC would not be used, for example, and that allrelevant functions as disclosed herein would be performed by a processoror processors. Chip set or chip 900, or a portion thereof, constitutes ameans for performing one or more steps of providing user interfacenavigation information associated with the availability of functions.Chip set or chip 900, or a portion thereof, constitutes a means forperforming one or more steps of presenting privacy-respectful andpersonalized location-based comments based on passenger context andvehicle proximity to the location.

In one embodiment, the chip set or chip 900 includes a communicationmechanism such as a bus 901 for passing information among the componentsof the chip set 900. A processor 903 has connectivity to the bus 901 toexecute instructions and process information stored in, for example, amemory 905. The processor 903 may include one or more processing coreswith each core configured to perform independently. A multi-coreprocessor enables multiprocessing within a single physical package.Examples of a multi-core processor include two, four, eight, or greaternumbers of processing cores. Alternatively or in addition, the processor903 may include one or more microprocessors configured in tandem via thebus 901 to enable independent execution of instructions, pipelining, andmultithreading. The processor 903 may also be accompanied with one ormore specialized components to perform certain processing functions andtasks such as one or more digital signal processors (DSP) 907, or one ormore application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC) 909. A DSP 907typically is configured to process real-world signals (e.g., sound) inreal time independently of the processor 903. Similarly, an ASIC 909 canbe configured to performed specialized functions not easily performed bya more general purpose processor. Other specialized components to aid inperforming the inventive functions described herein may include one ormore field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) (not shown), one or morecontrollers (not shown), or one or more other special-purpose computerchips.

In one embodiment, the chip set or chip 900 includes merely one or moreprocessors and some software and/or firmware supporting and/or relatingto and/or for the one or more processors.

The processor 903 and accompanying components have connectivity to thememory 905 via the bus 901. The memory 905 includes both dynamic memory(e.g., RAM, magnetic disk, writable optical disk, etc.) and staticmemory (e.g., ROM, CD-ROM, etc.) for storing executable instructionsthat when executed perform the inventive steps described herein toprovide shared vehicle availability detection based on vehicletrajectory information. The memory 905 also stores the data associatedwith or generated by the execution of the inventive steps.

FIG. 10 is a diagram of exemplary components of a mobile terminal (e.g.,mobile computers such as vehicle infotainment system, vehicle embeddedsystem, smartphones, etc.) for communications, which is capable ofoperating in the system of FIG. 1, according to one embodiment. In someembodiments, mobile terminal 1001, or a portion thereof, constitutes ameans for performing one or more steps of presenting privacy-respectfuland personalized location-based comments based on passenger context andvehicle proximity to the location. Generally, a radio receiver is oftendefined in terms of front-end and back-end characteristics. Thefront-end of the receiver encompasses all of the Radio Frequency (RF)circuitry whereas the back-end encompasses all of the base-bandprocessing circuitry. As used in this application, the term “circuitry”refers to both: (1) hardware-only implementations (such asimplementations in only analog and/or digital circuitry), and (2) tocombinations of circuitry and software (and/or firmware) (such as, ifapplicable to the particular context, to a combination of processor(s),including digital signal processor(s), software, and memory(ies) thatwork together to cause an apparatus, such as a mobile computer orserver, to perform various functions). This definition of “circuitry”applies to all uses of this term in this application, including in anyclaims. As a further example, as used in this application and ifapplicable to the particular context, the term “circuitry” would alsocover an implementation of merely a processor (or multiple processors)and its (or their) accompanying software/or firmware. The term“circuitry” would also cover if applicable to the particular context,for example, a baseband integrated circuit or applications processorintegrated circuit in a mobile computer or a similar integrated circuitin network device (e.g., a cellular network device or data other networkdevices).

Pertinent internal components of the mobile terminal include a MainControl Unit (MCU) 1003, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) 1005, and areceiver/transmitter unit. In one embodiment, wherein voice-basedinteraction and/or communications are supported at the mobile terminal,the mobile terminal may also include a microphone gain control unit anda speaker gain control unit. A main display unit 1007 provides a displayto the user in support of various applications and mobile terminalfunctions that perform or support the steps of presentingprivacy-respectful and personalized location-based comments based onpassenger context and vehicle proximity to the location. The display1007 includes display circuitry configured to display at least a portionof a user interface of the mobile terminal (e.g., mobile telephone).Additionally, the display 1007 and display circuitry are configured tofacilitate user control of at least some functions of the mobileterminal. In embodiments supporting voice-based interactions and/orcommunications, an audio function circuitry 1009 includes a microphone1011 and microphone amplifier that amplifies the speech signal outputfrom the microphone 1011. The amplified speech signal output from themicrophone 1011 is fed to a coder/decoder (CODEC) 1013.

A radio section 1015 amplifies power and converts frequency in order tocommunicate with a base station (e.g., data and/or voicecommunications), which is included in a mobile communication system, viaantenna 1017. The power amplifier (PA) 1019 and thetransmitter/modulation circuitry are operationally responsive to the MCU1003, with an output from the PA 1019 coupled to the duplexer 1021 orcirculator or antenna switch, as known in the art. The PA 1019 alsocouples to a battery interface and power control unit 1020.

In use, data to support presenting privacy-respectful and personalizedlocation-based comments based on passenger context and vehicle proximityto the location is formatted into network packets (e.g., InternetProtocol (IP) packets) for transmission using one or more networktransmission protocol (e.g., a cellular network transmission protocoldescribed in more detail below). In one embodiment, the network packetsinclude control information and payload data, with the controlinformation specifying originating/destination network addresses, errorcontrol signals, signals for reconstructing the user data from thepackets, and/or other related information. In embodiments supportingvoice-based interaction and/or communications, a user of mobile terminal1001 speaks into the microphone 1011 and his or her voice along with anydetected background noise is converted into an analog voltage. Theanalog voltage is then converted into a digital signal through theAnalog to Digital Converter (ADC) 1023. The control unit 1003 routes thedigital signal into the DSP 1005 for processing therein, such as speechrecognition, speech encoding, channel encoding, encrypting, andinterleaving.

In one embodiment, the processed network packets and/or voice signalsare encoded, by units not separately shown, using a cellulartransmission protocol such as enhanced data rates for global evolution(EDGE), general packet radio service (GPRS), global system for mobilecommunications (GSM), Internet protocol multimedia subsystem (IMS),universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), etc., as well as anyother suitable wireless medium, e.g., microwave access (WiMAX), LongTerm Evolution (LTE) networks, code division multiple access (CDMA),wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), wireless fidelity(WiFi), satellite, and the like, or any combination thereof.

The encoded signals are then routed to an equalizer 1025 forcompensation of any frequency-dependent impairments that occur duringtransmission through the air such as phase and amplitude distortion.After equalizing the bit stream, the modulator 1027 combines the signalwith a RF signal generated in the RF interface 1029. The modulator 1027generates a sine wave by way of frequency or phase modulation. In orderto prepare the signal for transmission, an up-converter 1031 combinesthe sine wave output from the modulator 1027 with another sine wavegenerated by a synthesizer 1033 to achieve the desired frequency oftransmission. The signal is then sent through a PA 1019 to increase thesignal to an appropriate power level. In practical systems, the PA 1019acts as a variable gain amplifier whose gain is controlled by the DSP1005 from information received from a network base station. The signalis then filtered within the duplexer 1021 and optionally sent to anantenna coupler 1035 to match impedances to provide maximum powertransfer. Finally, the signal is transmitted via antenna 1017 to a localbase station. An automatic gain control (AGC) can be supplied to controlthe gain of the final stages of the receiver. The local base station orsimilar component then forwards data or network packets to a gatewayserver (e.g., a gateway to the Internet) for connectivity to networkcomponents used for providing shared vehicle availability detection. Inembodiments supporting voice-based interactions and/or communications,voice signals may be forwarded from the local base station to a remoteterminal which may be another mobile computer, cellular telephone,and/or any other mobile phone or a land-line connected to a PublicSwitched Telephone Network (PSTN), or other telephony networks.

Voice signals transmitted to the mobile terminal 1001 are received viaantenna 1017 and immediately amplified by a low noise amplifier (LNA)1037. A down-converter 1039 lowers the carrier frequency while thedemodulator 1041 strips away the RF leaving only a digital bit stream.The signal then goes through the equalizer 1025 and is processed by theDSP 1005. A Digital to Analog Converter (DAC) 1043 converts the signaland the resulting output is transmitted to the user through the speaker1045, all under control of a Main Control Unit (MCU) 1003 which can beimplemented as a Central Processing Unit (CPU) (not shown).

The MCU 1003 receives various signals including input signals from thekeyboard 1047. The keyboard 1047 and/or the MCU 1003 in combination withother user input components (e.g., the microphone 1011) comprise a userinterface circuitry for managing user input. The MCU 1003 runs a userinterface software to facilitate user control of at least some functionsof the mobile terminal 1001 to provide shared vehicle availabilitydetection based on vehicle trajectory information. The MCU 1003 alsodelivers a display command and a switch command to the display 1007 andto the speech output switching controller, respectively. Further, theMCU 1003 exchanges information with the DSP 1005 and can access anoptionally incorporated SIM card 1049 and a memory 1051. In addition,the MCU 1003 executes various control functions required of theterminal. The DSP 1005 may, depending upon the implementation, performany of a variety of conventional digital processing functions on thevoice signals. Additionally, DSP 1005 determines the background noiselevel of the local environment from the signals detected by microphone1011 and sets the gain of microphone 1011 to a level selected tocompensate for the natural tendency of the user of the mobile terminal1001.

The CODEC 1013 includes the ADC 1023 and DAC 1043. The memory 1051stores various data including call incoming tone data and is capable ofstoring other data including music data received via, e.g., the globalInternet. The software module could reside in RAM memory, flash memory,registers, or any other form of writable storage medium known in theart. The memory device 1051 may be, but not limited to, a single memory,CD, DVD, ROM, RAM, EEPROM, optical storage, magnetic disk storage, flashmemory storage, or any other non-volatile storage medium capable ofstoring digital data.

An optionally incorporated SIM card 1049 carries, for instance,important information, such as the cellular phone number, the carriersupplying service, subscription details (e.g., data and/or voicesubscriptions), and security information. The SIM card 1049 servesprimarily to identify the mobile terminal 1001 on a radio network. Thecard 1049 also contains a memory for storing a personal telephone numberregistry, text messages, and user specific mobile terminal settings.

While the invention has been described in connection with a number ofembodiments and implementations, the invention is not so limited butcovers various obvious modifications and equivalent arrangements, whichfall within the purview of the appended claims. Although features of theinvention are expressed in certain combinations among the claims, it iscontemplated that these features can be arranged in any combination andorder.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: determining locationinformation associated with a user within proximity of a location,wherein the user is within a vehicle; determining a privacy levelsetting for the user; retrieving one or more personal data sets for theuser; filtering the one or more personal data sets based on the privacylevel setting; generating a personalized comment using the filtered oneor more personal data sets according to the location information; andinitiating presentation of the personalized comment, via a userinterface, to the user.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:retrieving information, associated with the user, relating to familyhistory information, images, purchase history, consumption of content,contact information, medical information, or a combination thereof; andupdating the one or more personal data sets based on the retrievedinformation.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more personaldata sets include an image associated with the user, the method furthercomprising: initiating presentation, via the user interface, of a promptspecifying an action associated with the personalized comment, whereinthe action includes a save function to store the personalized comment,an edit function to edit the one or more personal data sets, a commentfunction to provide a reply to the personalized comment, a correctionfunction to modify the image associated with the user, or a combinationthereof.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the personalized comment isamong a plurality of personalized comments associated with the location,the method further comprising: ranking the plurality of personalizedcomments; and determining that the personalized comment has a properrank for the presentation to the user based on the ranking.
 5. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the personalized comment is among a pluralityof personalized comments associated with the location, the methodfurther comprising: determining a relevance factor for the personalizedcomment, wherein the generation of the personalized comment is triggeredbased on the relevance factor.
 6. The method of claim 5, furthercomprising: receiving activity data, via a sensor or a mobile device,relating to an activity performed by the user within the vehicle,wherein the relevance factor is based on the activity data.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: determining contextual dataassociated with the vehicle and the user, wherein the contextual dataspecifies presence of another user within the vehicle, and wherein theprivacy level setting is determined according to the contextual data. 8.An apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memoryincluding computer program code for one or more programs, the at leastone memory and the computer program code configured to, with the atleast one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least thefollowing: determine location information associated with a user withinproximity of a location, wherein the user is within a vehicle; determinea privacy level setting for the user; retrieve one or more personal datasets for the user; filter the one or more personal data sets based onthe privacy level setting; generate a personalized comment using thefiltered one or more personal data sets according to the locationinformation; and initiate presentation of the personalized comment, viaa user interface, to the user.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein theapparatus is further caused to: retrieve information, associated withthe user, relating to family history information, images, purchasehistory, consumption of content, contact information, medicalinformation, or a combination thereof; and update the one or morepersonal data sets based on the retrieved information.
 10. The apparatusof claim 8, wherein the one or more personal data sets include an imageassociated with the user, the apparatus being further caused to:initiate presentation, via the user interface, of a prompt specifying anaction associated with the personalized comment, wherein the actionincludes a save function to store the personalized comment, an editfunction to edit the one or more personal data sets, a comment functionto provide a reply to the personalized comment, a correction function tomodify the image associated with the user, or a combination thereof. 11.The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the personalized comment is among aplurality of personalized comments associated with the location, theapparatus being further caused to: rank the plurality of personalizedcomments; and determine that the personalized comment has a proper rankfor the presentation to the user based on the ranking.
 12. The apparatusof claim 8, wherein the personalized comment is among a plurality ofpersonalized comments associated with the location, the apparatus beingfurther caused to: determine a relevance factor for the personalizedcomment, wherein the generation of the personalized comment is triggeredbased on the relevance factor.
 13. The apparatus of claim 12, whereinthe apparatus is further caused to: receive activity data, via a sensoror a mobile device, relating to an activity performed by the user withinthe vehicle, wherein the relevance factor is based on the activity data.14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the apparatus is further causedto: determine contextual data associated with the vehicle and the user,wherein the contextual data specifies presence of another user withinthe vehicle, and wherein the privacy level setting is determinedaccording to the contextual data.
 15. A system comprising: one or moreservers configured to: determine location information associated with auser within proximity of a location, wherein the user is within avehicle; determine a privacy level setting for the user; retrieve one ormore personal data sets for the user; filter the one or more personaldata sets based on the privacy level setting; generate a personalizedcomment using the filtered one or more personal data sets according tothe location information; and initiate presentation of the personalizedcomment, via a user interface, to the user.
 16. The system of claim 15,wherein the one or more servers are further configured to: retrieveinformation, associated with the user, relating to family historyinformation, images, purchase history, consumption of content, contactinformation, medical information, or a combination thereof; and updatethe one or more personal data sets based on the retrieved information.17. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more personal data setsinclude an image associated with the user, the one or more servers beingfurther configured to: initiate presentation, via the user interface, ofa prompt specifying an action associated with the personalized comment,wherein the action includes a save function to store the personalizedcomment, an edit function to edit the one or more personal data sets, acomment function to provide a reply to the personalized comment, acorrection function to modify the image associated with the user, or acombination thereof.
 18. The system of claim 15, wherein thepersonalized comment is among a plurality of personalized commentsassociated with the location, the one or more servers being furtherconfigured to: rank the plurality of personalized comments; anddetermine that the personalized comment has a proper rank for thepresentation to the user based on the ranking.
 19. The system of claim15, wherein the personalized comment is among a plurality ofpersonalized comments associated with the location, the one or moreservers being further configured to: determine a relevance factor forthe personalized comment based on the activity data, wherein thegeneration of the personalized comment is triggered based on therelevance factor.
 20. The system of claim 19, wherein the one or moreservers are further configured to: receive activity data, via a sensoror a mobile device, relating to an activity performed by the user withinthe vehicle, wherein the relevance factor is based on the activity data.